Loss of balance and the resulting injuries caused by falling is one of the most significant healthcare problems facing people as they age. About one in three people in England over the age of 65 fall at least once every year, and the results are often costly and life shortening. In the US the National Institute of Health (NIH) reports a similar fall rate for those over 65, and notes that a third of those falls result in moderate to severe injuries that can lead to further declines in health and loss of independence. The total cost of falls in the US and UK is roughly $60 billion per year.
Independence of people as they age is also an important problem. As people feel their sense of balance decline, they feel less confident in their ability to move about safely so they tend to not go outside and not walk around as much. This inactivity often leads to a sense of isolation, and also in fact can cause a further deterioration in the mobility of the individual.
Even at a younger age, improving balance can be very valuable for people. Although younger people may not have experienced a decrease in balance capabilities, better balance can lead to improved performance in sports, as well as providing the confidence to lead a fuller, more active life.
Currently, balance testing, evaluation and treatment are only available in specialty clinics and in certain doctor's offices. The testing, evaluation and treatment typically entail the person coming in to a clinic to meet with a doctor, followed by a series of tests on specially built equipment. The doctor evaluates the test results, and prescribes a series of exercises or activities to help the person improve their balance capabilities. For example, there are “balance classes” that are given at certain senior homes or community centers which are typically led by an instructor, and involve a variety of physical activities to build strength and improve balance.
The current evaluation process requires the use of expensive test machinery, and also the time of experts to manage the process. The training regime is similarly set up and monitored by experts. These experts are a scarce resource and therefore expensive. Furthermore, it is often required that the person physically go to a clinic or laboratory for this testing, evaluation and treatment.
As such, this sort of evaluation and treatment has been limited to a very small number of people, even though loss of balance is a population wide challenge. Most people with declining balance capabilities—and it is essentially everyone—never have the opportunity to test their balance, and never have access to a training program that is designed to help them improve their balance. By not having these opportunities, they are not able to prevent the decline of balance, and are therefore subject to the falls and decrease in confidence that poor balance brings.
Similarly, there is no self-managed balance improvement system available for younger people either. Anyone in this group wanting to improve balance usually has to retain the services of a specialist coach.
There is a need for a consumer product that: (1) allows persons on their own to effectively test their balance and (2) after evaluation of the test data, provides interactive exercises for the person to improve their balance.